Introduction

When one thinks of cultural diversity, the state of Iowa may not quickly come to mind. Yet, Iowa has a rich history of welcoming cultural diversity from Norwegian settlers in the northeastern part of the state in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to the more recent reception of Sudanese from Africa and Tai Dam immigrants from Southeast Asia. With funding from Humanities Iowa and the Iowa State University Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, the curators organized historians and artists from across the state to research, document, interpret, select and/or create historical and contemporary Iowa cultural traditions in fiber and fabric arts. The historians documented the fiber/fabric arts traditions of: African-American quilting; Amish quilting; Bosnian kilim rug weaving; Latin American guayaberas or wedding shirts, Native American Meskwaki regalia; Norwegian hardanger embroidery, Sudanese textiles, and Tai Dam and Laotian weaving. The historians then approached fiber/fabric artists to create new pieces, or identified existing pieces to purchase. The garments and textiles selected for this exhibit reflect these cultural textile traditions in Iowa.
The Settlers of Iowa
Iowa became a part of the Union on December 28, 1846. Known as the “Food Capital of the World,” Iowa has been the home to many immigrant and native groups. Several of the ethnic groups that came to Iowa included: African American, Amish, Bosnian, British, Czech, Danish, German, Hasidic Jews, Hmong, Irish, Meskwaki, Mexican, Norwegian, Scottish, Swedish, Welch. Settlers of Iowa had to survive and thrive, navigating a new land, often learning a new language and customs, and beginning with virtually no possessions or resources.